Rotary cam drive sprinkler



Aug. 14, 1934. w. A. BUCKNER ROTARY CAM DRIVE SPRINKLER Filed May 9, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 1934- w. A. BUCKNER 1,970,126

ROTARY CAM DRIVE SPRINKLER Filed May 9, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR W A Bu (lather BY Q mm ATTORN EY Patented Aug. 14, 1934- ROTARY CAM DRHVE SPRINKLER William A. Buckner, Fresno, Calif.

Application May 9, 1932, Serial No. 610,018

6 Claims.

This invention relates to slow motion rotary sprinklers and particularly represents improvements over the sprinkler shown in my Patent 7 No. 1,815,395 dated July 21, 1931. This type of sprinkler is one in which the sprinkler head is of the water controlled pop-up or disappearing type and a constant vibration is imparted to the head in connection with the positive rotation of the same as imparted thereto by reason of the passage of water through the head.

In the structure of the previous patent the arrangement of parts was such that the water had to lift a considerable weight before the structure would function. This either required a high pressure to operate or necessitated cutting down on the volu..'etric discharge of the sprinkler in order to build up and maintain the pressure at an effective point.

The principal object of my present invention is to maintain all the advantages of the previous structure but to rearrange the parts in such a manner that only a relatively small weight is lifted by the water pressure in raising the sprinkler head to its necessary exposed and operative position. Also this rearrangement of parts enables me to use the positive rotation control and vibration imparting features in connection with a sprinkler head mounted to operate at a fixed level or without any vertical movement-something which could not be done with the previous structure.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly efiective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig.1 is a sectional elevation of the improved sprinkler showing the head in its lowered or inoperative position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the head as raised and in operation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional plan on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig 4 is a bottom plan view of the sprinkler head spindle and the adjacent cam disc.

Fig. 5 is a'sectional elevation of a modified form of sprinkler.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings and par- 55 ticularly at present to Figs. 1 to 4, the numeral 1 denotes a vertical supply pipe which is screwed into the lower end of a stationary cup 2. This cup is covered in a water-tight manner by a cap 3 which is secured to the upper protecting cup 4. These parts are depressed in the ground so that the rim of the upper cup is substantially fiush with the ground. Mounted in the bottom of the cup 2 directly above the pipe 1 is a water distributing disc 5 having a central orifice 6 therethrough and a plurality of tangential passages '7 cut around its rim on a vertical diagonal. A certain amount of water entering the cup is therefore directed straight up while the remainder enters the same at a tangent and in an upward direction so as to be whirled about the cup.

'Iurnably mounted in the cup 2 is a floating driving band 8 having a plurality of inwardly projecting vertical vanes 9 to catch the tangential whirling water so that the band will be rotated thereby. This band then, as will be seen, is in eifect a turbine or water wheel. At the top this band is provided with an outwardly projecting flange 10 adapted to normally rest on a ledge 11 formed in the cup, the bottom of the band being then clear of the bottom of the cup. This flange also extends inwardly of the band in overhanging relation to the vanes so that the water will also exert a lifting effect on the band.

The upper surface of the flange is provided with a plurality of upwardly projecting circu i-- ferentially spaced lugs 12 sloping downwardly toward one end and forming cams. The slope of the cams extends downwardly in the direction in which the band turns when driven by the water.

A disc 13 is disposed above the band and normally rests on another ledge 14 formed in the cup. This disc has circumferentially spaced cam lugs 15 depending therefrom of the same form as the lugs 12 and having sloping ends adapted to be engaged by the sloping ends of the lugs 12 with the rotation of the band. The disc'13 has a central sleeve-hub 16 slidably and turnably mounted in a bearing box 17 formed in the cap 3, the lower end of this box limiting the upward movement of the disc, and such movement being quite small.

Turnably and slidably mounted in the sleeve 16 is a hollow water passage spindle 18 carrying a head 19 on its upper end from which nozzles 20 project radially at an upward angle; the nozzle outlets being of restricted area relative to the bore of the spindle. The head and spindle are arranged so that when the head is lowered and is resting on the box 17, the nozzles are depressed below the top of the cup 4 while the lower end of the spindle is immediately adjacent the distributing disc 5. A cover plate 21 is mounted on top of the head in overhanging relation to the nozzles to engage and seat in the rim of the upper cup when the head is completely lowered, as shown in Fig. 1, so as to protect the cup from filling up with dirt etc. This in itself however is not a novel feature.

The lower end of the spindle has an outwardly projecting gasket backed flange 22 to engage the under-side of the disc when the head is raised and thus limit further upward movement of the spindle. Lugs 23 project radially from the flange and are adapted to abut against similar lugs 24 provided on the under-side of the disc 13 when said flange 22 engages the disc, so that the spindle and disc are then connected in driving relation. A vertical division plate 25 in the lower end of the spindle splits the water entering the same and appears to assist the whirling water when leaving the vanes of the water wheel and entering .the raised spindle, in imparting rotation .to the sprinkler head.

In operation water under pressure enters the spindle from the centrally disposed orifice 6 and by reason of the restricted size of the nozzle forces the spindle upwardly and holds the same up as long as the water is passing through the head. The lugs 23 and 2% then become engaged and the disc is also raised off its seat in the cup by the upward movement of the spindle. The band vanes 9 are then exposed to the action of the water issuing from the tangential distributing passages '7 and said band is at once both rotated and raised oii its seat so as to cause its cam lugs to engage those on the disc above. Since the cam lugs engage each other on their sloping ends they tend to slip off and as a result an intermittent l and vibratory drive is imparted to the sprinkler head. Owing to the speed at which the driving band rotates however in effect a constant though slow speed is imparted to the relatively heavy sprinkler head.

The speed of rotation of the head is governed by the volume of water entering through the angled passages '7 relative to the total volume of water entering the cup. This of course may be controlled by altering the size of the central orifice 6, since the larger the orifice the less will be the quantity of water entering the angled passages and consequently a smaller rotative force wfll be exerted against the driving band.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the same principle of operation and the same general construction is maintained but the sprinkler head is not mounted for appreciable vertical movement in the cup 2. Instead, the head 19a is attached directly to the hub 16a of the cam disc 13a. The same driving band 8 for cooperation with the cam disc is used and it is driven and functions in the same manner as before. In this case of cour e the upper cup 4 is eliminated as well as the cover or hood over the sprinkler.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, stfll in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A rotary sprinkler including a covered cup having a bottom water intake, a sprinkler head above the cup, a water-passage spindle freely open on its lower end depending from the head into the cup and mounted for sliding and rotative movement and arranged to be lifted by the pressure of water entering the cup through the intake and passing through the head, a water wheel turnable in the cup separate from the spindle, means between the wheel and the spindle when the latter is raised to impart intermittent rotation to the head with the rotation of the wheel, a horizontal water distributing disc mounted in the cup over the intake, the lower end of the spindle lying adjacent the disc when said spindle is in its lowermost position; said disc having passages to direct water to the sides of the spindle and tangentially against the wheel and another central passage axially alined with the spindle passage.

2. A structure as in claim 1, with a flange projecting outwardly from the base of the spindle and overhanging said first named disc passages when the spindle is lowered.

3. A sprinkler comprising a body having upper and lower cups, a rotary sprinkler head adapted to be lifted by water under pressure passing therethrough normally disposed within the upper cup, a tubular spindle rigid with the head projecting into the lower cup, a water supply pipe communicating with the lower cup, a water wheel separate from the spindle mounted in the lower cup for vertical and rotative movement, means todirect water entering the cup through the pipe against the wheel to both raise and rotate the same, an annular ledge in the lower cup above the wheel, a disc surrounding and separate from the spindle normally resting on said ledge and arranged for upward movement therefrom, instrumentalities between the disc and spindle to place the two in driving relationship and to also raise the disc from the ledge when the spindle is raised to its limit of movement, and coacting elements on the wheel and disc arranged to cause the latter to be intermittently rotated when the wheel is raised.

4. A sprinkler comprising a body having upper and lower cups, a rotary sprinkler head adapted to be lifted by water under pressure passing therethrough normally disposed within the upper cup, a tubular spindle rigid with the. head projecting into the lower cup, a Water supply pipe communicating with the lower cup, a water wheel separate from the spindle mounted in the lower cup for vertical and rotative movement, means to direct Water entering the cup through the pipe against the wheel to both raise and rotate the same, an annular ledge in the lower cup above the wheel, a disc surrounding and separate from the spindle normally resting on said ledge, means between the disc and spindle to place the two in driving relationship only when the spindle is raised a predetermined distance, and means between the wheel and disc to cause the latter to be intermittently rotated and the wheel to be intermittently raised and lowered when the wheel is being driven and is under the lifting influence of the water.

5. A sprinkler including a body, a sprinkler head having a spindle projecting into the body and turnably mounted therein, a disc in the body associated with the spindle to rotate therewith, a water wheel disposed in the body below the disc and adapted for rotative and upward movement, means to direct water into the body to both rotate and raise the wheel, and cam lugs projecting from the adjacent faces of the disc and wheel and having their leading ends sloping whereby the lugs will tend to slip clear of each other.

6. A sprinkler comprising a body having upper and lower cups, a rotary sprinkler head adapted to be lifted by water under pressure passing therethrough normally disposed within the upper cup, a tubular spindle rigid with the head pro- WILLIAM A. BUCKNER. 

